The temple is among the ancient temples of Tamilnadu and very popular too. The presiding deity is Sri Paravasudevan in standing posture with shanku chakra. It is surprising that the alwars didnt sing praises of the Lord here and hence the temple is not among the divyadesams. The temple is very huge with 24 sannadhis, vast gardens and seven prakarams. Thayar has a seperate sannadhi here and Sengamala thayar is called padi thandaa patni meaning that she wouldnt go out of the temple even for the annual festivals.

The temple is also known as Dakshina dwarka and it is believed that staying here overnight is equivalent to donating 1000 cows. The utsvar is Rajagopala swamy with Rukmini thayar and Satyabama. There are small calves around the Lord and the idol is very very beautiful and eye catching. The utsavar wears a kundalam in one ear and an earring in another. He carries a golden rod and is also called Rajamannar.

The santhana gopala krishna idol in the temple is very famous and said to bless the childless couples with children.

How to reach

The temple is around 30 kms from Tanjavur, 30 kms from kumbakonam and 27 kms from Tiruvarur. The nearest airport is trichy and recently trains have been introduced to Mannargudi station.

Sannadhis

Paravasudevan perumal

Sengamala thayar

Andal

Nammazhwar

Manavalamamunigal

Chaktratazhwar

Thirumangai azhwar

Padukai hanuman

Hanuman

Nigamanta Mahadesikan

Wodeyavar

Narasimha

Temple timings

The temple is open in the mornings from 5.30 am to 12 noon and in the evenings from 4 pm to 9.30 pm. After opening in the morning for the Vishwaroopa seva, the temple is closed for some time and reopens again at 8 am.

Vaduvur Ramar temple is among the Purana sthalams and is close to Mannargudi. The presiding deity here is Sri Kothandaramar with Sita, Lakshmanan and Anjaneyar. It is interesting to note the similarities in the moolavar and utsavar idols here. The temple is also called Vakulaaranya kshetram.

Initially Sri Rajagopalan swamy with Rukmini and Satyabama were the presiding deities of this temple. The story goes that when Sri Rama was returning to Ayodhya after 14 years, he asked Vishvakarma to create an idol like him so that the rishis who were requesting him to stay back allow him to return. Later these idols were buried in Thalai Gnayiru a village near Thiruthurai poondi by the rishis. After several years, the Lord appeared in the dreams of a king Sarabhoji and asked him to unearthen the idols from the said place. When the king passed by Vaduvur with the idols of Sri Rama, Sita and hanuman, the people there didnt let him take the beautiful idols away and requested him to install the deities in the Rajagopalan swamy temple.

How to reach

The temple is around 24 kms from thanjavur and 15 kms from Mannargudi close to SH 63. Buses on Thanjavur - Mannargudi route stop at Vaduvur and the temple is at a walkable distance from the bus stop.

The temple is among the 108 divyadesams of Sri Vaishnavas and comes under Choza naatu divyadesams. The presiding deity is Sri Neelamegha perumal in standing posture and thayar in a seperate sannadhi is called Kannapura nayaki. The festival idol of the Lord is Sowrirajan perumal. There is a huge temple tank right outside the temple and an Anjaneya temple besides it. The Lord gives darshan here with Prayoga chakra in hand and the utsavar perumal's hand is like giving posture (Varada hastham). The Lord is said to have shown his walking beauty to Vibeeshana at this place. The temple is among the Pancha Krishnaranya kshetram.

It is said that once a devotee who had food after offering the same to the Lord was late to the temple one day. So the devotee offered the pongal to the Lord from outside and there was a heavenly smell of sweet pongal the next morning all over the temple. Hence, the Lord is offered Pongal prasadam every night.

A king had sent in a garland of flowers for the Lord that didnt reach the temple before the king came in. Scared of the king's anger, the priest made another garland and adorned the Lord with it. When the king came, he saw a hair in the flower garland and asked the bhattar about it. The bhattar immediately told that it was the hair of the Lord and to protect the former from the king's anger, the Lord appeared with long hair the next morning. Hence he is also known as Sowrirajan.

How to reach

The temple is around 20 kms from Nagapattinam and about 30 kms from Kumbakonam and Mayiladuthurai close to Thirupugaloor and Nannilam.

Sannadhis

Perumal

Thayar

Chakravarti Thirumagan

Garudan

Vishwaksenar

Andal

Dwarka krishna

Alwars and Acharyas

Temple tank and vimanam

The temple tank is called nitya pushkarni and vimanam is called upalavataka vimanam.

Temple timings

The temple is open in the mornings from 7 am to 12 noon and in the evenings from 5 pm to 8.30 pm.

The temple is among the 108 divyadesams of Sri Vaishnavas and comes under Choza naatu divyadesams. The presiding deity is Sri Loganathan perumal (also called Shymalameni perumal) in standing posture and thayar is Loganayaki thayar. The festival idols are called Damodara Narayanan perumal and Aravindavalli thayar. The temple is among the Pancha Krishnaraya kshetrams.

Once Lord Krishna ate up the butter while Vashishta Maharishi was lost in thoughts and started running with the sage following him to reach this place where some rishis were doing penance. The rishis requested the Lord to give darshan to all devotees at this place in standing posture and hence the place is called Kannankudi (Kannan also refers to Krishna).

It is interesting to note that the moolavar and festival deity of thayar look alike.

How to reach

The temple is around 12 kms from Nagapattinam near Keevalur and Sikkal. From Mayavaram as well as Kumbakonam, the distance is approximately 60 kms

Temple tank and vimanam

The temple tank is called Sravana pushkarni and vimanam is Udbala vimanam.

Temple timings

The temple is open in the mornings from 6 am to 12 noon and in the evenings from 5 pm to 8 pm.

The temple is among the 108 divyadesams of Sri Vaishnavas and comes under Choza naatu divyadesams. The presiding deity is the majestic Bhaktavatsala perumal in standing posture and thayar is known as Abhisekhavalli thayar. The temple is among the pancha Krishnaraya kshetrams- the others being Therazhandur, Thirukannapuram, Thirukanankudi, Thirukannamangai and Thiru kapisthalam.

There is a big beehive in the thayar sannadhi who are believed to be the devas who came to witness the marriage of the Lord with goddess Mahalakshmi and stayed back here. Lord Shiva is said to be protecting this place from all directions and an overnight stay here would ensure moksham.The temple is very big with beautiful sculptures.

How to reach

The temple is around 6 kms from Tiruvarur, about 25 kms from Kumbakonam and about 45 kms from Mayavaram.

Sannadhis

Perumal
Abhisekavalli Thayar

Andal

Vedanta desikar

Kodanda ramar
Hayagreevar
Sanganidhi
Padmanidhi

Manavala mamunigal

Alwars and Acharyas

Thirukannamangai andan thiruvarasu

Temple tank and vimanam

The huge temple tank is called Darshana pushkarni and vimanam is called Utpala vimanam.

Temple timings

The temple is open in the mornings from 7.30 am to 12.30 pm and in the evenings from 5 pm to 8.30 pm.

The temple is among the 108 divyadesams of Sri Vaishnavas and comes under Choza naatu divyadesams. The presiding deity is Sri Neelamega perumal in grand standing posture, utsavar is Soundaryarajan and thayar is called Soundaryavalli thayar. The Lord gives darshan in this temple in three forms - Neelamegha perumal in standing posture, Ranganathar in reclining and Govindaraja perumal in sitting posture.

It is interesting to see the Asta buja Narasimhar utsavar here with one hand blessing Prahalada, one in abhaya hastam and the remainins as tearing Hiranyakashapu. The temple is very beautiful and true to the Lord's name, anyone would easily get lost in the Lord's beauty.

It is believed that Bhoomadevi and Markandeya rishi did penance at this place and Naga Raja also did Kanniga dhanam here. Since Lord Vishnu accepted Adiseshan as his serpent bed after the king of Nagas did penance here, the place came to be known as Nagar pattinam.

How to reach

The temple is in Nagapattinam town-around 2 kms from Bus stand and less than a km away from the railway station.

The temple is among the 108 divyadesams of Sri Vaishnavas and comes under Pandiya naatu divyadesams. The presiding deity is Kallazhagar or Sundararajar in standing posture and thayar is Sundaravalli thayar. The moolavar as well as the festival deity hold panchayuda meaning 5 types of weapons.

There are 18 steps to the temple from the main entrance and Karuppana swamy the god of the local tribes has as a small shrine here. However, the devotees are now not allowed to enter the temple from this entrance except for a few days in a year and have to use another big door. There are two forts surrounding the temple and the hill besides in the shape of a cow is called Vrishabhadri.

Every year, the Lord travels on Garuda vahanam to Madurai to give moksham to Mandaka Maharishi. On the way, the Lord takes the garland sent by Andal of Srivilliputtur at a temple on route. In return the Lord sends in his attire to Andal on her birthday in Tamil calendar's Aadi month. It is also believed that the Lord comes to Madurai to witness the marriage of his sister Meenakshi amman with Sundareswarar.

When Andal merged with Ranganatha perumal who appeared in the form of Azhagar, she was unable to fulfill her promise of giving Azhagar perumal 100 pots of butter and sweet rice. Later Ramanujar fulfilled this promise and Andal called out to him as annan and Ramanujar got the name of Kovil Annan.

It is believed that anyone who takes the divine water from Nupoora Gangai river at Azhagar kovil will be relieved of all sins.

How to reach

The temple is situated in the foothills of the Azhagar hills and around 20 kms from Madurai. Buses ply to the temple from Madurai and one can reach through autos also.

Temple tank and pushkarni

The temple tank is called Noopura ganga and vimanam is Somasundara vimanam.

Temple timings

The temple is open in the mornings from 6 am to 12.30 pm and in the evenings from 3.30 pm to 8 pm.

The temple is among the 108 divyadesams of Sri Vaishnavas and comes under Choza naatu divyadesams. The presiding deity of the temple is Sri Parimala Ranganathar and thayar is known as Parimala Ranganayaki in a seperate sannadhi. The utsavar is known as Maruviniya Maindan and the moolavar gives darshan in a reclining posture with four hands. Apart from the Lord, one can have darshan of Santhana krishna, Brahma, Adiseshan, Kaveri and Ganga in the main sanctum. There are very beautiful carvings on the pillars in the temple complex.

The temple is among the Pancharangam kshetrams- the others being Srirangam, Koviladi, Srirangapatna and Kumbakonam. Childless couples praying to Santhana krishna in this temple are said to be blessed with kids. Chandran- the moon god is said to have been relieved here of curses by praying to thayar and hence thayar is also known as Chandra sabavimochana valli.

Lord Parimala Ranganathar is said to have shut the doors once for Thirumangai azhwar saying he was late. After lot of arguments, when Thirumangai azhwar was about to leave the place as the Lord didnt give him darshan, the Lord convinced azhwar to sing praises of him. These are the paasurams by Thirumangai azhwar for the Lord here.

How to reach

The temple is situated just 2 kms from Mayavaram bus stand and is easily accessible through autos. Mayavaram is well connected by rail and road with important cities in India.

Temple tank and vimanam

The temple tank is called Indu pushkarni and vimanam is known as Vedachakra vimanam.

Temple timings

The temple is open in the mornings from 7.30 am to 12 noon and in the evenings from 5 pm to 9.30 pm.

The temples is among the 108 divyadesams of Sri Vaishnavas and comes under Choza naatu divyadesams. The presiding deity of the temple is Devadirajan perumal in standing posture and festival idol of the Lord is known as Aamaruviappan perumal. Besides the moolavar is Prahalada and Garudan in the same sannadhi which is an interesting feature as Garuda is besides the Lord in the sannadhi in very few temples-another one being Srivilliputtur. The utsavar Aamaruviappan gives darshan with cows around like he is grazing them. The moolavar stands tall and has a very majestic and inviting look. Thayar in a seperate sannadhi is called Senkamalavalli thayar.

The temple is among the pancha krishnaranya kshetram, the others being Thirukannankudi, Thirukapisthalam, Thirukannapuram and Thirukannamangai. Therazhundur is the avathara sthalam of Kambar who wrote the Ramayana is tamil and there is a seperate temple for Kambar here.

Once Brahma brought the cows from Gokul to Thervazhandur when Lord Krishna was bathing in Yamuna. When Krishna realised this, the Lord again created the same number of cows in Gokul with his super powers. When Brahma came to know of his

mistake, he prayed to Lord Krishna to give him darshan at therazhandur and hence the Lord appears here as Aamaruviappan with cows besides him.

Once Lord Krishna had pierced the chariot of a king who had become arrogant due to some boon and the king's chariot got stuck at this place. Thus, the place got the name as Therazhundur where Ther refers to chariot in Tamil.

How to reach

The temple is around 12 kms from Mayavaram. There are buses directly from Mayavaram as well as Kumbakonam although frequency would be less.

Sannadhis

Devadirajan perumal

Sengamalavalli thayar

Andal

Alwars and acharyas

Ramar

Yoga Narasimha

Temple tank and vimanam

The temple tank is called Darshana pushkarni and vimanam is known as Garuda vimanam.

Temple timings

The temple is open in the mornings from 7.30 am to 12 noon and in the evenings from 5 pm to 8.30 pm.

The temple is among the 108 divyadesams of Sri Vaishnavas and comes under Choza naatu divyadesams. The presiding deity here is Sri Naanmadhiyaperumal and thayar is known as Thalaichanga naachiyar. The festival idols are called Vyomajoyipiraan and Senkamalavalli thayar. The idol of Andal in this temple is very mesmerising and the shell in the Lord's hand is said to be very precious.

Chandran - the moon god is believed to have got relieved from his body disease by praying to Lord Ranganathar at Srirangam, sins reduced by praying to Lord Parimala Ranganathar at Thiru Indaloor and finally relieved of the curse by bathing at the temple tank and praying to Nanmadhiyam perumal. The temple tank is hence named Chandra pushkarni and Lord is also called Chandra saabha haran.

How to reach

The temple is around 12 kms from Seerkazhi and 15 kms from Mayavaram and can be accessed through Chidambaram-Sirkazhi-Mayavaram route also. The temple is close to Aakur near Sirkazhi.

Sannadhis

Perumal

Thayar

Alwars and acharyas

Temple tank and vimanam

The temple tank is called Chandra pushkarni and vimanam is known as Chandra vimanam.

Temple timings

The temple is open from 10 am in the morning to 5.30 pm in the evenings.

The temple is among the 108 divyadesams of Sri Vaishnavas and comes under Choza naatu divyadesams. The presiding deity here is Sri Chalasayanaperumal or Arulmakadal perumal in reclining posture and thayar is known as Tirumaamagal nachiyar. The festival deities are known as Kripasamudra perumal and Dayaanayaki thayar. The moolavar here is really small as compared to other temples. Praying to the Lord at this temple is said relieve devotees from Sarpa dosha and bless childless couples with kids.

The place is said to have got its name after Vyagrapadar prayed to the Lord and got moksha with legs, hands and eyes of tiger which he got as a boon from Lord Shiva. When the rishi was travelling to Srirangam to get moksham from Lord Ranganatha, he lost his way and being unable to walk further he started doing penance at Siripuliyur. Lord Ranganatha pleased by his devotion, appeared here in Bala sayana so that the rishi could see the Lord with his poor eye sight.

It is interesting to note that while Lord Ranganathar is facing south, thayar and andal give darshan facing east.

It is believed that at this temple tank only Adiseshan was accepted by Lord Vishnu as his seat after a big fight with Garuda. Hence the temple tank is also called Anantasaras.

How to reach

The temple is on the Mayiladuturai Tiruvarur route near Kollumaangudi and about 20 kms from Mayavaram.

Sannadhis

Perumal
Thayar
Andal

Alwars

Temple tank and vimanam

The temple tank is called Manasa pushkarni and vimanam is called Nandavardana vimanam.

Temple timings

The temple is open in the mornings from 7 am to 12 noon and in the evenings from 5 pm to 8 pm.

The temple is among the 108 divyadesams of SriVaishnavas and comes under Choza naatu divyadesams. The presiding deity is Sri Sundara raja perumal in reclining posture and utsavar is called Vadivazhagiya nambi. Thayar is known as Azhagiya valli thayar and has a seperate sannadhi. A specialty of the temple is that Andal can be seen in a sitting posture and hence is a prarthana sthalam for unmarried girls.

Since Lord Vishnu relieved Mandaka rishi's curse as a frog here, the place is also known as Mandaka puri.

How to reach

The temple is around 15 kms from Srirangam. There are buses to Anbil from chatiram bus stand that pass through Lalgudi. To reach from Koviladi temple, one has to travel 6 kms to Poondi, cross the river Coloroon and travel 6 kms on the left to reach Anbil.

Sannadhis

Perumal
Thayar
Alwars and acharyas
Senai mudalvar

Temple pushkarni and vimanam

The temple tank is called Mandooka pushkarni and the vimanam is known as Dharaga vimanam.

Temple timings

The temple is open in the mornings from 7 am to 12.30 noon and in the evenings from 4 pm to 8 pm.

The temple is among the 108 divyadesams of Srivaishnavas and comes under Choza naatu divyadesams. The presiding deity is Lord Appakkudatan or Lord Appala Ranganathan in reclining posture with a pot full of appam (a sweet) besides him and thayar is called Indradevi or Kamalavalli thayar. Nammazhwar is said to have recited his last paasuram in praise of the Lord in this temple before attaining moksham. The temple is said to be older than Srirangam Ranganathar temple. It is called Koviladi as it

is believed that Sri Appala Ranganatha perumal measured the steps for the periya kovil from here. The temple is among the Pancha Ranga kshetram, the others being Srirangam, Thiru Indalur, Srirangapatnam and Kumbakonam.

A King used to feed around a lakh people everyday to get free from a curse and get back his powers. Once, Lord Vishnu disguised himself and came for food. After eating

the entire day, he asked the king to give him a pot full of Appam which is a sweet made of rice in South India. Once the Lord had it, he freed the king from the curse and hence he came to be known as Appakudathan wherein kudam means pot in tamil. Even today, the Lord is offered Appam as prasad daily. One can get the prasadam from the 2nd house on the left side of the road just in front of the temple.

How to reach

The temple is around 10 kms from Lalgudi and 25 kms from Trichy. To travel by bus one should go to Kallanai and take another bus from there. The local name for the place is Koviladi. From Thiru Anbil divyadesam, go to Poondi, cross the bridge and travel around 6 kms on the left to reach Koviladi.

Sannadhis

Lord Appakudathan
Kamalavalli thayar
Alwars and acharyas

Temple pushkarni and vimanam

The temple tank is called Indra theertham and Vimanam is Indra Vimanam.

Temple timings

The temple is open in the mornings from 7 am to 12 noon and in the evenings from 4 pm to 8 pm.

The temple is among the 108 divyadesams of SriVaishnavas and comes under Choza naadu divaydesams. The presiding deity is Sri Pundareekakshan in standing posture and thayar is Shenbakavalli thayar in a seperate sannadhi. Apart from perumal, Sridevi thayar, Bhoodevi thayar, Suryan, Chandran and Adiseshan in human form are also present in the main sannadhi. The place is also known as Shwetagiri meaning hill made of white rock. It is a huge temple built like a fort.

The architecture of the temple is a mix of two divyadesams- the first gopuram and steps to the temple remind one of Thirukurungudi temple while the main sannadhi on a hillock is similar to Kanchipuram Varadaraja perumal temple. There are two entrances to the main perumal sannadhi - the Uttarayana entrance is used between Jan 15-July 15 (thai month to aani month in tamil calender) and Dakshinayana entrance is used from July 15- Jan 15 each year. One can find such entrances in Thirukudanthai Sarangapani temple at Kumbakonam too. Also there is one more entrance which is believed to have been used by Lord when he was late and questioned by thayar. There are lot of ancient scriptures on the wall tiles and floors.

It is believed that one can see Srirangam temple from here. It is also the avathara sthalam of acharyas - Engal alwan and Uyakondan. At one time, there were 3700 vaishnavites in this temple who later travelled to perform poojas in other temples.

In this temple, thayar has the first rights for all activities over the Lord. Apart from this temple, thayar is given the first priority in Srivilliputtur divyadesam and Nachiyar temple divyadesam near Kumbakonam.

How to reach

The temple is located about 20 kms from Trichy on route to Thuraiyur. There are buses from Trichy bus stand.

To reach the temple, turn right at Nochiyam on SH 25 and take the left towards SH 62

The temple is among the 108 divyadesams of Sri Vaishnavas and comes under Choza naatu divyadesams. The presiding deity is known as Lord Purushottaman and thayar is called Poornavalli thayar. There is a seperate sannadhi for thayar. This is the only divyadesam where there are shrines to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati and Lord Brahma and Goddess Saraswati apart from Lord Vishnu and Poornavalli thayar. Once Lord Shiva cut off Lord Brahma's one head in a fit of anger and to get rid of this sin, Lord Shiva went to several temples begging for alms. However, once he got alms, the bowl would get empty. Finally at Uthamar kovil, Goddess Mahalakshmi gave him alms on instructions from Lord Vishnu and that stayed in his bowl. Hence, Lord Shiva continued to stay here and came to be known as Bikshandar.

Since Thirumangai azhwar praised the lord here as Uthamar, the place came to known as Uthamar kovil. Another specialty of the temple is that Lord Ranganathar visits the temple once every year from Srirangam. Also, it is believed that the Lord blesses childless couples who pray here with children.There are beautiful paintings of Dasavathara in the temple complex.

How to reach

The temple is about 10 kms from Trichy railway station and around 2 kms from Srirangam. There are several buses from Chathiram bus stand. The nearest railhead and airport is Tiruchirapalli. From tollgate, take the road towards Gunaseelam SH 25 and instead of going over the flyover, go below it on the right side to reach the temple.

The temple is among the the 108 divyadesams of SriVaishnavas and comes under Choza naatu divyadesams. The presiding deity is Azhagiya Manavaalan in standing posture and thayar is called Kamalavalli thayar. Thayar is enshrined within the main sanctum and there is no seperate sanctum for thayar. Lord Ranganathar had asked Mahalakshmi thayar to become the daughter of his devotee King Nandha Cholan who didnt have children. Hence Goddess Mahalakshmi appeared as a child in a lotus pond when the king went hunting and so was named Kamalavalli. When she grew up Lord Ranganathar accepted her as his bride and the king built the temple facing Srirangam temple to mark the marriage of Lord Ranganathar with Kamalavalli thayar. There is no seperate utsava moorthy for perumal and the utsavar from Srirangam Ranganathar temple is brought here every year for kalyana utsavam with thayar.

The temple is big with beautiful sculptures and paintings around the prakaram. Woraiyur is the avathara sthalam of Thiruppan azhwar -the one who wrote Amalanadipiran in praise of Lord Ranganathar of Srirangam.

How to reach

The temple is around 5 kms from the Trichy railway station. Trichy/Tiruchirapalli is well connected by road, rail and air with important cities in India. Local buses and autos are available to Woraiyur and the temple is popular among locals as Nachiyar kovil.

Author

Temples of India blog (Author -EC) is the legal copyright holder of all the material and photos published in this blog and it may not be reprinted, used or published without the written permission of the author. For any queries or communication please mail to easycrafts@gmail.com